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We rebuild engines. I know know of six Bentley Turbo-R's that have blown their cyliinder head gaskets within 50K miles. The hard parts show no deviation from specification and the mileage is insignificant mileage for cars of this quality and in this day and age. The dealers and the factory totally stonewall the issue. We believe the problem is associated with the change from asbestos gaskets to non-asbestos gaskets, with the early engines employing first generation (and weak) materials. The cylinder head part number has changed from suffix 'B' to suffix 'D' in recent times. The question quite simply is has anybody else experienced cylinder head gasket failures?
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Len,
Am I correct in believing that when a turbocharger is fitted to an engine the compression ratio has to be reduced, by the fitment of a thicker head gasket ?
I have suffered from Head gasket problems on VW engines which had done well over 140 000 miles plus a citroen Xantia turbodiesel which had done 90 000.
Do head gaskets have a finite lifespan ?
How do you go on with changing them on VWs VR6 engine ?
It is one of the most common items to fail on older cars, but may be due to poor maintainance of the cooling system.
Best regards
Al
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Alan, Head gasket seem to be a major source of work for us - failure mainly caused by poor quality coolant and radiator failure. VW VR6 engine is tricky to replace head gasket, you're quite right. Turbo-charged petrol engines sometimes use a slightly thicker gasket to lower the compression ratio, this could be a weak point. The XUDT engine's head gasket in your Xantia is not known for it's reliability either.
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Len,
No personal experience, but suggest you address your query to the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club. They have a welth of experience from owners and members. Their web site is 'www.rrec.co.uk', but you need to be a member to enter the technical forum area. Alternatively, E-mail them and ask if one of their technical people can advise: 'admin@rrec.org.uk'.
Regards, Adam
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